


SorMik Week 2018

by treya_barton



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-26 05:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15656490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: I am participating in SorMik week!  Each day there were two different sets of prompts - either "there are as many emotions as stars in the sky" or weather based ones. I choose to write all of the ones based on weather ^^





	1. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt choices were ☆ Joy/Sadness ★ Alternate: Rain
> 
> I’m choosing to focus on all of the weather prompts so I went with rain. It starts off kind of melancholy but has a fluffy ending. I hope you enjoy ^^

Sorey woke up that morning to the loud pattering of rain.  He blearily opened his eyes, blinking in confusion when it was still dim in the room due to the dark clouds covering the early morning sunlight.  He turned toward the window, noting the pouring rain and the overcast lighting, proving it really was morning and not still night.  As Sorey stared out the window, his green eyes soon became unfocused as his thoughts drifted back to other rainy days that were still fresh in his memory from their travels.  Memories that may have faded for his seraphim companions but were still vivid in his mind due to experiencing them over and over for the past several hundred years he had been asleep.

There was a rumble of thunder in the distance, and it was just enough to slip him over the edge and plunge him back into those fitful dreams.  Ice cold rain poured down from the sky as he stood in the city of Pendrago yet again, tasked with facing the Cardinal Forton and dealing with her malevolence.  Sorey shivered, both from the temperature from days and days of unending rain and from what he knew he had to do.  He didn’t like it.  He had already wandered the city, getting soaked while searching for clues, learning about the fate of Sergei’s brother and so many others that had gone to investigate the Shrinechurch. 

Before he could get too caught up in what he was about to face, there was another rumble of thunder and Sorey was transported this time to Lastonbell.  It is dark outside, and he’s rushing around the city trying to find Margaret, the daughter of the innkeeper who’s gone missing amidst a series of murders in town.  The city was still full of malevolence at the time, which always reminded him a little of an incoming storm with the dark mist and often accompanying thunder that only he could hear.  And then suddenly Sorey is outside of the town, fighting the breed wolf, and having his heart broken when he discovers it’s Margaret and the stray dog, dying on the grass because she had been able to see Seraphim like him but had been bullied as a result.  This time Sorey felt warmth trail down his cheeks from his tears as he watches the little girl who he couldn’t save breathe her last breath.

Outside, there is a flash of lightning, and it startles Sorey, throwing him back onto the battlefield between Rolance and Hyland.  Lightning flashes around him followed by the crash of thunder as the strong malevolence kicks up on the battlefield, turning soldiers into hellions before his eyes.  Sorey feels sick to his stomach at the needless bloodshed and fighting, steeling his resolve to put an end to it by facing both sides equally with Lailah’s cautionary words about choosing a side forever etched in his heart.  Sorey makes his way down the hill instantaneously and is suddenly caught in the middle of the fray, unknowingly terrifying everyone with his calm façade and Shephard abilities due to his connection with his Seraphim.  Unlike in reality, in his dreams he is unable to hear them, their reassuring words or their cautionary advice, and it makes him feel lonely.  He begins to fight the mercenaries, people he sided with in the past, and the sadness envelopes his heart.  Overhead, the roar of a beast breaks through the thunder and lightning, and the fight pauses as everyone looks up in fear.  Before Sorey can turn to face the dragon, remembering the fight that had left everyone staring at him like he was the monster, he is finally drawn out of his memories by a gentle, yet firm, arm that suddenly draped across his waist and pulls him back against a warm, familiar chest.

Sorey turned to face his best friend’s concerned gaze, lavender eyes carefully studying his face, his long hair messily spread around him on the pillow.  “You back with me?” Mikleo carefully asked, and Sorey nodded before burying his head in Mikleo’s shoulder.

“It’s just the rain.  It brings up memories of our journey,” Sorey confessed.  Mikleo began running his long, slender fingers through Sorey’s hair soothingly, and he felt the brunet relax under his touch.  “Memories of Forton, of Margaret, of the battlefield…” Sorey’s voice grew thick as he spoke, and Mikleo pulled him closer, keeping one arm comfortingly around his waist and the other threaded through his hair.

“I haven’t thought of many of those things in a long time,” Mikleo confessed.  “But for you I imagine it must still be fresh.”

Sorey nodded into Mikleo’s shoulder, already starting to feel better cuddled up to his love’s warmth and comforting touch.  Outside, the rain slowed down to a light shower and the thunder began to dissipate, changing into a relaxing pitter-patter on the roof of their home.  An idea popped into Mikleo’s head, and he glanced at Sorey before pulling away and sitting up.  Sorey glanced up at Mikleo curiously, looking adorable with his head nestled between their pillows as he stared up at him.  “I think I know of something that may help,” Mikleo said, a boyish grin spreading across his face.  It made him appear young again, and suddenly reminded Sorey of the Mikleo he had been used to before his long sleep.  The Mikleo he was faced with now was more gorgeous and mature, but it was nice to see that some of his younger self still resided in there somewhere.

Sorey sat up as Mikleo slid off the bed, grabbing a jacket and tossing it at Sorey who caught it reflexively.  “What’s that?” Sorey asked, sliding it on and getting out of bed, some of his enthusiastic energy returning to him.  He loved the idea of an adventure and had a feeling that’s what Mikleo had in mind.

Mikleo merely grinned before reaching out and taking Sorey’s hand, tugging him outside into the light shower.  Due to Mikleo’s abilities as a water seraphim, he kept himself from getting too wet (he had to protect his hair after all), but he let the warm rain wash over Sorey, reminding him that it could be healing and fun too.  Sorey immediately caught on to his intentions and shot Mikleo his wide grin, the one that never failed to cause a blush to creep across Mikleo’s cheeks, before it was his turn to drag Mikleo around, laughing as they splashed in the puddles forming in the dips along the mountain that Elysia was built on.  It doesn’t take long for Sorey to feel revitalized again, his earlier melancholy washing off in the warm shower, the earlier thunder forgotten due to his and Mikleo’s bright laughter and panting breaths.  Sorey always preferred action, facing his fears rather than getting caught up in his head, and he appreciated Mikleo’s nudge to remind him of that.  They spent over an hour that morning playing in the rain, until Mikleo began to worry about the effect it may have on Sorey and ushered him inside for a warm bath and a hot breakfast; it had taken him a long time but the seraph was happy to say he could finally cook something hot without totally ruining it.  They then spent the rest of the morning until the rain finally let up, reading in bed while snuggled against each other, enjoying the other’s company while listening to the now comforting sound of the rain.


	2. Snowfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of Sormik Week. The prompts were ☆Loneliness/Community ★ Alternate: Snowfall I am going with the weather themes and picked snowfall.
> 
> Sorey and Mikleo are climbing a mountain in search for a temple and encounter snowfall along the way.

Sorey and Mikleo had fallen silent during their trek up a mountain in search for an ancient temple rumored to be buried somewhere at the peak.  After Sorey had finally woken from his long slumber, Mikleo had announced that it was time for the former Shephard to finally pursue his own dreams now that the malevolence had all been purified and the Seraphim and Mankind were finally getting along and could yet again interact.  He had swept Sorey away before he could get caught up in any politics, since people were curious about the revived Shephard of legend, stating that Sorey had always dreamed of travelling the world looking for ruins and that it would now be his focus. 

Sorey had already given up his life at 17 years for the world, and in the process had missed out on taking part in the lives of any of his human friends and acquaintances that had been alive at the time; he still had his old Seraphim friends and companions around, but Mikleo knew that in some small way Sorey regretted not being present for Rose, Alisha, and the others, even if it was for the greater good.  That’s why now Mikleo didn’t want the young man to miss out on anything else.

On their way up to the peak, they had been debating what time period the ruins would be from, based on the rumors they had heard, but as the air became thinner and it started to get harder to breathe, they had quieted and focused more on the hike.  It was an overcast day and very chilly, especially the further up the peak they went.  There was light snow accumulation underfoot from a snowfall several days ago that hadn’t melted due to the cooler temperatures at the higher altitude.  Yet, at the foot of the mountain, it was still autumn and they hadn’t had their first snowfall yet.  Eventually, Sorey noticed a snowflake flutter down in front of him and immediately stopped before staring up at the sky.  This would be his first snowfall since his return, and he watched in wonder as more began to drift down, silent in their fall as they slowly began blanketing the ground even more.

He turned to look at Mikleo, who had been staring at him with a warm look in his violet eyes, head slightly tilted as he watched Sorey’s look of wonder.  Sorey blushed lightly, while Mikleo blushed even brighter upon being caught staring and turned his head in embarrassment.  That proved to be a mistake when several moments later he was smacked in the back of the head by a snowball, which hit so hard it sent his hair flying and caused chunks of snow to get caught up in the strands as it slowly slid down his hair.  Mikleo turned to glare at Sorey, who had set down his bag and was already taking off with a laugh.  “Oh no you don’t,” Mikleo huffed before scooping up his own snowball and expertly hurling it at the escaping brunet, catching him square on his back with a satisfying smack.  Mikleo smiled proudly at his accomplishment, quickly scooping up another and sending it sailing at Sorey just as the brunet had done the same.  Both of their snowballs hit at about the same time. 

Soon it was an all out war, with each man breathlessly hiding behind the sparse trees and occasional boulder, trying to outwit the other and get a good hit in.  They ended up going at it for several long minutes, only stopping when Mikleo noticed that the snowfall had increased and was causing visibility problems.  This caused him to pay more attention to Sorey, who currently looked warm enough with his red cheeks and slightly damp hair from the snowball fight, but he could tell would probably start feeling the cold pretty soon.  “We should probably find shelter,” Mikleo cautioned, trudging his way back to where they had both deposited their bags. 

Sorey frowned up at the increased snowfall, blinking back some of the ice crystals as they fluttered close to his eyes.  “You’re probably right, as usual,” he mused, easily hoisting his own onto his back.  “Maybe there will be a dry cave nearby?”

“I wish we had Lailah with us,” Mikleo said, glancing again at Sorey with worry in his eyes.  “I’m not much good when it comes to making a fire…”

“I doubt we would be able to find dry firewood anyway,” Sorey shrugged.  “If we did I’m decent enough at making a fire myself.  I think just something out of the wind and snow should be good enough though.”  He shot Mikleo his confident grin, and the water Seraphim couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head, albeit with a small smile of his own.  Sorey’s positivity was always contagious after all.

Luckily, they were soon able to find a shallow cave to hole up in until the weather calmed down.  It was nice and dry and kept them out of the wind and snow, which allowed them to warm up when huddled together.  Mikleo pulled out their blankets and bedding from their packs for extra warmth, and soon they had shrugged off their wet coats and were cuddled under the blankets, Sorey curled up in Mikleo’s arms for warmth since he needed the body heat more.  They both quietly watched the snowfall outside of the cave as it came down with a quiet pattering sound, almost like a light rain now that it was falling fast enough.  The wind had also picked up and they could hear it blowing outside across the mountain.  Eventually, Mikleo felt Sorey began to relax in his arms until he could hear his breathing even as he fell asleep.  Mikleo smiled to himself before pressing a soft kiss into the other man’s hair, resting his head over Sorey’s protectively as he slept.  He was happy to have his best friend back and would ensure that he would be safe and protected from now on.  The Shephard who had saved his friends and the world deserved every happiness in his new chance at life and to finally live out his dream.  And Mikleo would be with him every step of the way.


	3. Windy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 for Sormik week! The prompts are: ☆ Fear/Excitement ★ Alternate: Windy
> 
> I choose to do windy and focused on a cute moment where Sorey brushes Mikleo's hair after being out in the wind~

Mikleo and Sorey returned to Elysia after several months of travel in order to rest and to see how the others in the village were doing.  The once humble village, that had built their small homes in order to allow Sorey to grow up with a sense of normalcy since he needed shelter as a human, had grown over the years and had a new shrine dedicated to Sorey that people would occasionally take a pilgrimage up to Elysia to visit.  It was a source of income for the Seraphim who sold wares to those who visited and ran an inn and a tavern for the weary travelers. 

Sorey was slightly embarrassed that people travelled so far just to learn about his journey with his companions all those years ago, and that surprised his Seraphim companions were celebrities in their own right and well-known figures.  Often when they travelled, people would recognize Mikleo first before realization dawned about who Sorey was.  Edna tended to stay away from people to avoid the celebrity, while Zaveid continued to travel around, basking in it when he was amongst people and felt like it, staying out in the wilderness when he didn’t.  Lailah and Mikleo, who stayed amongst humans, had to deal with the attention the most and by now had learned to ignore most of it.  Mikleo was only becoming hyper-aware about it again in order to keep Sorey from feeling too overwhelmed.

The Seraphim in Elysia were careful to protect Sorey and Mikleo’s privacy, and they never let travelers know when the couple was home or where they actually lived.  Because of Mikleo’s abilities as a water Seraph which had only grown in the years since Sorey had gone to sleep, he could keep them hidden with his spell pretty much indefinitely when they wanted to go out, so visitors wouldn’t bother them.  They did sometimes meet with people at Sorey’s shrine, telling their stories directly to the captive audience, but they also liked to have their private moments and relax at their home without interruption.  Like today when they were tired after travelling while being buffeted by the wind the whole day.

As they got settled in their home, which was lined with books and journals Mikleo had kept of his travels while Sorey had been asleep, Mikleo wandered over to the mirror they kept in the bathroom, wincing and reaching his hand up to tentatively feel out the nasty tangles in his hair.  Mikleo had never much liked wind, for even as a boy he had taken special care of his hair and preferred to have each strand in the right place.  Now that he had grown it out, it was even more difficult to take care of, which made windy days all the worse.  Sorey had always been indifferent to the effects of the wind, since his hair was usually a bit messy and the windswept look had always been attractive on him.  Mikleo couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous about that, even if he secretly liked it when Sorey’s hair got a little messy.  It gave him an excuse to run his fingers through it to carefully work out the knots and tangles.

Mikleo’s thoughts were interrupted by a slight tug at his hair that wasn’t from his own hands, and he turned to face Sorey who was giving him an odd look.  “What’s with that expression?” he teased, and Mikleo let out a huff.  Sorey knew he hated his hair getting tangled.  The brunet chuckled, green eyes smiling softly at him before he picked up Mikleo’s brush and led him out to their bed, sitting him down on the edge before he kneeled on the bed behind him.  His gentle hands carefully pulled Mikleo’s hair down from its ponytail, and he gently scratched the top of Mikleo’s scalp, causing the water seraph to close his eyes in contentment and lean into the touch.  As boys, Sorey would often do the same thing, brushing out Mikleo’s hair after a windy day because he knew how much Mikleo hated it when his hair became messy.  He didn’t mind if Mikleo’s hair was tussled or carefully managed, thinking he looked gorgeous either way, but he knew it mattered to Mikleo and wanted to take care of him. 

Thus, he carefully began brushing out Mikleo’s hair, gently hold his hair away from the scalp when he had to delicately tug the brush through some of the tangles so it didn’t bother his sensitive scalp.  He marveled at how much longer it was now, since he hadn’t actually brushed it since they were both teens and Mikleo had sported the boyish shorter cut with the side-swept bangs.  His hair was just as soft and silky as it had been back then, although the scent from his shampoo had changed, adopting a more masculine scent that reminded Sorey of the air after a heavy rain with a hint of lavender.  Now that Mikleo had more options than what the Seraphim made by hand in Elysia or later whatever they could find while on the road, he had combined ingredients together to form his own unique scent that Sorey loved.  Mikleo had also created one for Sorey that smelled like cedar but had a little bit of mint so it was soothing on his scalp.  Sorey was just as likely to use Mikleo’s, however, so they often smelled the same after a bath.

As Sorey carefully brushed out the tangles in Mikleo’s hair, the other man began to drift off, soothed by the gentle feeling against his scalp, the comfort of being back in their home, and the sense of safety from Sorey’s presence.  It wasn’t long until he fell asleep, leaning back against Sorey’s chest and making it difficult for the brunet to continue his task.  Sorey chuckled lightly before carefully lying Mikleo down, tucking him into the covers before finishing untangling his hair.  Mikleo always looked younger in his sleep, reminding him more of their time as teenagers which tugged at Sorey’s heart because in his mind that time wasn’t that far away.  Sorey placed a gentle kiss on Mikleo’s temple before leaving the room, quietly unpacking their stuff before making himself a cup of tea and starting a fire in the fireplace so he could curl up in their leather chair and read one of Mikleo’s journals.  Outside the wind continued to blow, but inside both Sorey and Mikleo were warm and content. 


	4. Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day four of Sormik week! The prompts are ☆ Insecurity/Confidence ★ Alternate: Clouds
> 
> So my original outline for this one was very fluffy and light and for whatever reason as soon as I start writing about these two instead I had to do a character study on Sorey and dealing with facing a much changed world and best friend. So it became a bit of angst with a happy ending instead.

Right after Sorey had woken up and sought out Mikleo, catching him at the temple as he had started to fall through the crumbling floor, Mikleo had brought him back to Elysia in order to give him time to adjust to the changes that had happened while he had slept.  It had been awkward at first, since their journey was still fresh in Sorey’s mind and had faded over time for Mikleo who had been through so much since then.  Mikleo never forgot Sorey and had always held his best friend and Shephard close in his heart, but their journey wasn’t as vivid for him and was mainly remembered now by the journals he had written shortly after Sorey had gone to sleep.  He had continued to keep journals throughout the years of other things he had done and experienced, hoping that when Sorey finally woke up he could use them to get a sense of where the world was at now.

It was a little difficult for the man, for even with his enthusiastic and curious personality, he was often bewildered by some of the changes in society and changes he encountered with the Seraphim he had grown up with or travelled with.  There were things about Mikleo he was learning to get used to, for along with his longer hair and slight growth in height, he was also more powerful and confident in his abilities in a way he hadn’t been before.  He had also continued to learn and experience things and had a more detailed knowledge base as a result, which Mikleo could tell sometimes Sorey was a little jealous about, although he tried to hide it.  Mikleo was patient with Sorey, however, knowing how difficult it was for him to adjust, and he was glad to see how quickly he was able to adapt to the changes and how he poured through Mikleo’s journals in order to catch up on what he and their friends had been up to. 

The most difficult thing Sorey struggled with was missing out on the lives of their human companions, and after reading the journals which had depicted their lives and eventual deaths, Sorey had been withdrawn for several days afterward.  It had worried Mikleo, who had been unsure how to deal with his mood, and he had fretted about their house, trying to cook meals Sorey liked and doing his best to comfort him.  It wasn’t until Sorey asked to visit the graves of Rose, Alisha, and Sergei that the brunet seemed to finally start to heal, and along the way he asked Mikleo questions about what they had accomplished in their lives and if they had been happy.  Mikleo was able to reassure him that all three had lived lives they could be proud of, and had continued to bring the world to peace after Sorey had disappeared.  After their short trip down to Ladylake to see their graves, Sorey showing amazement over how much the city had grown and changed and both of them taking time to also visit Lailah who was delighted to see them, they headed back up to Elysia, so they could plan out where they wanted to begin their trip to look for ruins and temples. 

Once they got back, however, Sorey surprised Mikleo by asking him a question he hadn’t expected.  “What about you?” he asked, causing Mikleo to turn and give him a questioning look.  His expression, normally see easy for Mikleo to read, was carefully masked.  “Were you happy?”

Mikleo sucked in his breath, before having to sit down on the leather chair in their main living area.  Sorey kneeled down next to him, keeping a steady gaze on Mikleo’s roiling expression.  “Sometimes,” he finally replied, hesitantly.  “At first, I honestly wasn’t.  I missed you,” he said, looking steadily at Sorey.  “But later, I learned to be happy sometimes.”

“Did you…” Sorey paused.  Mikleo watched him carefully, unsure about what he was about to ask.  “Did you ever have other…companions?” he finally asked, and Mikleo’s eyes widened.  _That_ was a question he hadn’t expected to be asked.  Because it was something neither he nor Sorey had addressed directly before his sleep.  They had been young and due to the differences in Seraphim relationships compared to human ones, had never really understood their feelings for each other until their journey.  And due to their focus on Sorey’s job as the Shephard and later Sorey’s decision to save everyone, they had both silently agreed to continue to not address it, skirting around the topic in their remaining time together.

He stared at Sorey, searching his gaze and realizing that the other man seemed both melancholy and nervous, although he tried to hide it behind a patient and encouraging smile.  “I did,” Mikleo said slowly, seeing the hurt prick Sorey’s eyes, “and yet, I didn’t.”

Sorey’s brows furrowed, but Mikleo continued before he could say anything.  “I did have a few brief relationships over the years, but they never meant as much to me as the one I have with you.  And a part of me has been waiting for you since the moment your eyes fell closed,” he admitted.  “I think anyone I ever saw knew that deep down which is why it never lasted very long.”

Sorey’s face fell, and he began fidgeting, his eyes cast down as he was deep in thought.  Finally, he said, “I didn’t want you to be unhappy,” and Mikleo sighed, before lifting Sorey’s chin up with his hand. 

He then looked him directly in the eyes.  “Like I said, I wasn’t always unhappy,” he gently reminded him.  “And I think if you’re honest with yourself, you don’t like the idea of me being happy with someone else either.

Sorey frowned stubbornly, opening and shutting his mouth a few times before sitting directly on the ground with his legs and arms crossed.  “I’m not sure what I think,” he finally admitted.  “I certainly can’t expect you to have sat around waiting forever – in fact I’m glad you didn’t because I would have felt terrible.  I just wish you had been happier, even if it meant…”

Before he could finish, Mikleo interrupted him.  “Stop what you’re about to say,” he said sharply.  “I didn’t want to be with someone else, Sorey.  I wanted to be with you.  I’m happy now that you’re back, and I can’t wait until we travel together like I had always wished for.  It was both our dreams, remember?”  He stared at Sorey in earnest, before adding, “I didn’t wait this long for you to come back and tell me you wished I had chosen someone else.  I chose you and chose to wait for you.  And now you’re here.  What is it that you want, Sorey?”

Sorey tensed, hands gripping his arms at the question.  He then let out a sigh, before looking up at Mikleo.  “Honestly, I want you,” he replied, and Mikleo felt his chest tighten.

“Well, I obviously want you too, so I don’t see what the big deal is,” Mikleo said, slight tears in his eyes.  Ever since Sorey’s return, they hadn’t brought up the topic of their feelings, and he had started to think maybe he had imagined them all those years ago.

Sorey stared back at him, before carefully standing up and leaning over Mikleo, bracing his arms on the back of the chair on either side of Mikleo’s head.  Mikleo stared steadily at him, a slight blush on his face by the intentional closeness of the other man who had held onto his heart for so long.  His expression was soft as he gently confessed, “I love you.  And I missed you.  I was sometimes semi-conscious in my sleep and would think about you and what you were up to.  I even thought I heard you occasionally too, and it always made my heart ache.”

Mikleo gasped lightly, before saying, “I was there.  I would go to visit you all the time.”  He admitted, “I missed you every day.  How could I not?”  He then carefully reached up with one hand, running it through the hair on the back of Sorey’s head, before carefully tugging him down and pressing a tentative kiss against his lips.  Mikleo immediately felt warm and content, and as he pulled away he looked at Sorey’s eyes and saw wonder and warmth immediately flood across his expression as well.  They both smiled at each other, before Sorey carefully pulled away and offered his hand shyly to Mikleo to help him up.  Mikleo gladly gave him his hand, and was surprised when afterward Sorey tugged him out the door and over to the side of the mountain.

“What are you doing?” he asked, as Sorey plopped himself down on the ground and patted the grassy slope next to him.

“I think it’s time we get everything out into the open,” Sorey explained.  “From the beginning.”

Mikleo felt slight trepidation, but immediately squashed it as he lay himself down next to the other man.  He trusted Sorey and knew that the other man would never judge him.  They both lay back on the grass, staring up at the cloudy sky as they slowly began to unravel their feelings for each other, when they had first started realizing things as kids before they had fully developed as teens.  And then how things had just cemented on their journey.  It was nice finally having their feelings out in the open, and peaceful on the grassy slope with a light breeze that kept lazily drifting the clouds across the sky above them.  Mikleo hadn’t expected Sorey to suddenly bring up their feelings, but he was definitely glad he had finally addressed it.


	5. Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 for Sormik Week! Prompts are: ☆ Envy/Pride ★ Alternate: Fog 
> 
> So for fog I always immediately think of Persona 4, so naturally my mind was like a Persona 4 AU for Zestiria ^^ Hopefully some of you also like P4 or if not the story is easy enough to follow without having that background <3 I may possibly turn this into something longer if people are interested ^^

Sorey and Mikleo moved to Ladylake at the beginning of their second year of high school.  Their mothers, who were both best friends, had decided to move away from Elysia which was a much smaller town so that once their sons both graduated, they would have better opportunities for education and jobs.  The boys were also best friends after growing up together practically as close as brothers, and they were excited at the new opportunities that came with living in a bigger city.  They had only been to visit Ladylake occasionally and were ready to explore their new surroundings and make new friends.  Sorey and his mother had gotten an apartment close to their new school, while Mikleo and his mom would be moving in with his uncle who already lived in the city and worked as a history professor at the local university.  Sorey’s mother had gotten a management position at a new shopping center named Camlann opening up in town, while Mikleo’s mother got a job at the same university as her brother, only in the admissions office instead.

On the boy’s first day of class, they ended up sitting next to Edna and Lailah.  Lailah was a spacey girl, who they’d soon learn was much smarter than she looked and was top of the class, and she had been friendly and introduced both of them, explaining that they’d show them around the school.  Her family owned the local inn, and she was set to inherit it once she got older.  Edna, meanwhile, had seemed much less interested in helping them out, and had a dry, snarky sense of humor.  Although she was almost completely opposite from Lailah, they both somehow seemed to get along, and the boys could tell that they were actually good friends.  To Mikleo’s dismay, Edna quickly seemed to pick up that he could be a bit sensitive, and was soon teasing him and quickly adopted the nickname Meebo for him, much to his disdain.  She tried to do the same to Sorey, but quickly found that he was indifferent to her attempts due to his easygoing nature.

It didn’t take long for Sorey and Mikleo to befriend Edna and Lailah, even if that friendship seemed tenuous between Mikleo and Edna, and they were soon settled into their school routine.  That is, until several days later when an ominous announcement was made over the loudspeaker during homeroom.  “Due to an emergency situation that is being investigated close to our school, we will not be holding classes today.  You are to remain in the classroom until further notice.  Parents have been notified of the situation and may be allowed to pick up their children if they choose to do so.  Faculty are to remain vigilant until we learn more about the situation.”

Immediate hushed whispering began to fill the classroom as the students pulled out their phones and began to try to figure out what was going on.  Their teacher was also on his phone while looking out the window, quietly talking and looking just as puzzled as the rest of them.  Sorey, Mikleo, Edna, and Lailah also huddled together, Edna expressing happiness at missing school that day while the other three tried to puzzle out what was going on.  No one was able to figure anything out and about an hour later another announcement was made that it was safe to go home but that a street close to the perimeter of the school was currently blocked off for a police investigation.  A street that Sorey and Mikleo happened to both pass by on their way home.  They would walk together about halfway before having to split in order to head home.  So, although they had been warned not to, the two curious boys made their way to the street, stopping where it was blocked off and curiously looking around until they finally saw it.  There was a body hanging upside down and tangled up in the power lines.

Sorey immediately turned away, fists clenched as he tried to regain his composure, while Mikleo lightly gasped and stared in horror, one hand covering his mouth.  Sorey tugged at Mikleo’s sleeve to capture his attention, before dragging him away from the gruesome scene.  The woman had long auburn hair tied back into a long ponytail which hung in a limp curl from where her head dangled.  Her bangs looked like they normally covered one eye, although at the angle she was hanging from they had slid down and lay in a suspended loop away from her face, showing both eyes which were wide open and staring in glassy horror.  Neither boy could get her ghastly expression out of their heads.

“So that’s why they wouldn’t let us leave the classroom,” Sorey said once they were far enough away and began to breathe a little easier.  “They were probably afraid there may be a killer on the loose.”

“Well, that certainly doesn’t look like a suicide,” Mikleo replied.  “How on earth did they get her body up there though?  What an awful thing – to have your body on display like that after you were murdered.”  The light blue haired boy shivered, and Sorey couldn’t help but join him.  It was definitely disconcerting, especially since they had both just moved to the city.  Ladylake had never had something like that occur as far as either one of them knew, but they were still cautious on their way to Mikleo’s house, inherently deciding to stay together that day until their moms or Mikleo’s uncle came home from work.  They huddled up in Mikleo’s room, briefly watching the news which was of course talking about the murder and the fact that the police had very little to go on beyond the bizarre showcasing of the body, before flipping it over to a popular idol show in order to try to get their minds off what they had just witnessed.  They both received frantic phone calls from their mothers once they had each seen the news and heard the voicemails from the school, and they assured both of them that they were fine and holed up at Mikleo’s together.  Needless to say, their moms ended up coming home early that day, wanting to ensure their sons were safe with their own eyes.

That night, after Sorey had been picked up by his mother and brought home after they had stayed for dinner with Mikleo’s family, Sorey ended up having an odd dream.  He would later wonder if it was just the stress from witnessing a murder crime scene, but at the time it had felt very realistic, almost as if he was awake and present there.  He was sitting in long blue room with blue velvet upholstered chairs and a bar along one side, reminding him of what stretch limos always looked like in the movies.  He encountered a tiny old man with slicked back white hair that curled up at the ends, the sides braided down to frame his face, and a sharp pointed beard gracing his chin sitting across from him.  His eyes looked closed and were hidden behind large bushy eyebrows.  He introduced himself as Zenrus, and sitting adjacent to him was a stocky man whose hair was still gray and hadn’t quite turned white yet, with a goatee and a thin, long moustache.  He introduced himself as Mayvin and both seemed mysterious, yet kind. 

Zenrus explained that he was very interested in Sorey’s potential, and that he operated under the fool arcana which meant that he had limitless possibilities.  He also spoke of a contract, and that if Sorey agreed to the contract he would gain the ability to shape the world.  Because it was a dream, Sorey agreed, not really considering the consequences which he could already hear Mikleo nagging him about.

Right after he had accepted the contract, everything blacked out, and Sorey had found himself floating in a dark void.  He could hear strange growling noises in the distance, and felt sudden fear grip his chest at the eeriness of the sound.  He then saw something flash in the distance, and he blinked in surprise when he noticed a bizarre figure that was humanoid in shape but faceless, wearing long flowing robes and holding what appeared to be a curved staff.  It seemed to notice him back and began gliding toward him, and right as it reached out to touch him he awoke with a start.  To his surprise, he was covered in a cold sweat and his heart was racing from terror.  ‘What was that?’ he wondered, shaking his head and trying his best to allow the odd dream to fade away.  Strangely enough, it seemed to stick with him, unlike most dreams which quickly faded once he woke up.  He briefly considered messaging Mikleo, but he decided he didn’t want to bother the other teen and went to get a glass of water to cool off before attempting to fall back asleep.  Luckily, this time he didn’t have any odd dreams, and he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The next day at school everyone was buzzing about the murders.  Lailah, who was a bit of a gossip, was telling them that a student had found the body on the way to school, and that the police thought the body had been hidden by the heavy fog that night since she appeared to have been murdered around midnight.  They couldn’t see any physical evidence of her murder and were doing an autopsy because they suspected she may have been poisoned.  The woman’s name was Maltran and she was a prominent figure in Ladylake who had been embroiled in a political scandal.  Some people were thinking she had been killed in order to silence her from sharing too much, and there were a lot of rumors going around about it.  The girl, Felice, had been interviewed on the news yesterday and was staying home today due to the shock of what she had discovered.  Sorey and Mikleo couldn’t blame her – it had been quite upsetting.

Once Lailah was finished gossiping about the murder, Edna switched gears to another rumor that had been going around.  “Some stupid kids think if you look at a blank tv screen at midnight when it’s raining you can see your soulmate,” she said.  “I think it’s pretty dumb but…” she trailed off, her eyes sparkling lightly.  Mikleo braced himself while Sorey and Lailah both looked interested.  “Some people claimed that they saw Maltran on the midnight channel before she died.”  The other three gasped, leaning back at the knowledge while Edna looked satisfied by their reactions.

“That’s terrifying,” Mikleo said after a few moments, frowning slightly.  “Is this really true or are you pulling our legs?”

“It’s really something I heard,” Edna shrugged.  “You know how people get with superstition though.  However…” she trailed off.  “It is raining tonight if you want to test it out.”

Mikleo, who was more suspicious of Edna’s intentions, looked like he wanted to say no, but Lailah and Sorey were both intrigued.  “Yeah, we should definitely check it out,” Sorey said, his eyes shining with curiosity.

Mikleo sighed, for if Sorey was going to do it he would too.  “I guess,” he grumbled while Lailah clapped her hands together.

“Let’s exchange numbers so we can report on what we see!” she said excitedly.

Thus, that night all four students wound up right at midnight staring at blank tv screens, curious about what they would see.  To their surprise, their tvs did in fact crackle on, showing a fuzzy picture that appeared to be the outline of a girl with hair that looked vaguely familiar.  The sound was staticky as well, and they all had trouble making it out.  For some reason, Sorey felt drawn to the screen, and before he knew it he was standing in front of it, staring intently to see if he could make out any details about who it was.  He reached out to touch the screen, and he was startled when instead of touching smooth glass, the screen felt more like a liquid and he felt his hand start to pass through.  ‘What the heck?’ he thought, pausing and staring in fascination at his hand currently halfway through the tv.

Curiosity won out and he was soon trying to push more through, feeling something cool and slightly damp on the other side.  He pushed through as much as he could, but his tv was really too small for him to go in much further than one arm.  He pulled his arm back out and then looked at it curiously, not seeing anything different.  The tv then clicked back off and his room was suddenly bathed in darkness.  He checked his text messages and noted that everyone else had mentioned seeing the channel and the outline of a girl, but none of them had mentioned anything like what he had experienced.  He decided to bring it up the next day at class.

Of course, when he mentioned it he was met with three blank stares.  “You were probably tired,” Mikleo explained.  “It was already weird that the channel actually popped up to begin with.”

“I wasn’t tired,” Sorey insisted.  “It really happened.”

Lailah and Edna exchanged glances.  “Well, I guess you’ll just have to prove it,” Edna pointed out.  “Unless, of course, you’re too scared?”  It was obvious she thought Sorey was messing with them.

“Fine.  My mom said they’ve got some new large tv screens in at Camlann.  We can see if it works even without the midnight channel,” Sorey said.  “I feel like with a larger screen I can go in farther anyway.”

It was Mikleo’s turn to shoot him an odd look, questioning why Sorey would even want to, but the bell rang to signify the start of class and they soon settled in.  Lailah was unable to go with them to the store since she had to work at her family inn last night, but she made them promise to tell her what happened.  Edna promised gleefully, obviously feeling like nothing would happen, while Mikleo felt much less sure than he had earlier.  He knew that Sorey wasn’t lying and definitely thought he experienced something, for the boy was a terrible liar and wouldn’t lead them on about something like this.  Plus, the other weird events going on in the past few days were really starting to do things with his imagination.  He glanced at his best friend worriedly as they made their way to the shopping center, Sorey walking confidently ahead while Mikleo and Edna trailed behind, both with their arms crossed.

Once they reached the electronics department at the store, Mikleo and Edna began to look in amazement at the large screen TVs which were much bigger than what most people had in their houses.  And also very expensive.  They both began pointing out how ridiculously priced each television was and how hardly anyone around here could probably afford it, while Sorey walked up to the biggest one that was sitting on the bottom shelf and looked at it curiously.  He carefully reached out and placed a hand on the screen, smiling in satisfaction when it rippled around his hand and allowed him to start to push through.  Mikleo and Edna didn’t notice until after he pushed his head through, trying to see what was on the other side.

“Holy sh…Sorey, get your head back in here!” Mikleo said, heading over to yank him out.  Edna, meanwhile, looked panicked because she had not expected Sorey to be telling the truth, and when she stepped forward to help Mikleo pull Sorey out, she ended up tripping on a cord that wasn’t secure and instead knocked all of them through the screen.  Sorey grunted in surprise while both Mikleo and Edna screamed as they all crashed through, ending up sprawled on a metal platform with studio lights hanging overhead keeping it lit up.  It was hard to see anything because they were also surrounded by a thick fog.

“Where the hell are we?” Edna asked, looking a bit scared although she tried to hide it behind her usual indifferent façade. 

“No idea,” Sorey said, brushing himself off and helping Mikleo up.  Mikleo also looked worried and couldn’t help but press a little closer to Sorey.  None of them could see a way out, and something about the fog and the lighting was giving all of them a headache.  There was a definite heaviness to the atmosphere that weighed on them oppressively and they didn’t like it.  “We should probably look for a way out though,” Sorey decided, and neither of the other two disagreed.

Thus, they slowly made their way along one of the paths that branched away from the platform, a metal walkway with railings along each side that appeared to suspend above a void that had the thick fog floating above it.  “The fog reminds me of the night Maltran was murdered,” Edna said in a quiet voice, and the other two shivered.  It did look just as thick as the fog that had blanketed the city that night.  Edna couldn’t remember Ladylake really getting as much fog as they had been getting lately either – it was something the local weather stations had been commenting on in the past several weeks.

“I see something up ahead,” Sorey said, for he was walking in front yet again.  Although he was also scared, especially because the dark void below reminded him of the strange dream he had, whenever he was around others he always tried to appear strong in order to make it easier on them.  Mikleo watched with a quiet frown, for he knew this about him.  Since growing up, Sorey usually tried to appear confident on his behalf, and while it irritated him a little, he couldn’t help but admire how Sorey always looked out for others too.  He just wished that Sorey would rely on him a little more.

They soon reached their destination which was an odd portal looking door with swirling red and black that led into a windowless building, and they exchanged glances.  “I’m not sure about this,” Mikleo said hesitantly.  “I don’t like that we can’t see what’s inside.”

“Maybe it’s the exit though,” Sorey countered.  “I think it can’t hurt to check it out.”

They both turned to Edna who also looked uncertain.  Finally, she sighed and said, “It’s probably better to make sure,” although she seemed to side more with Mikleo on feeling apprehensive about it.

Sorey nodded and turned to face the door, taking a deep breath before stepping through it.  Mikleo quickly followed, not wanting Sorey to face whatever was inside alone, while Edna hesitantly brought up the rear, standing closer to the doorway just in case.  They were all shocked at what they saw inside.  The room was lined with different trophies, pictures, and awards showing accomplishments, with Maltran’s name emblazoned on the trophies and awards.  She could be seen in the different pictures, although the faces of many of the people handing her the awards or posing with her in the photos had been angrily cut out.  Strewn across the ground were small pieces of the photographs that had been cut up even further, and in the middle of the room was a chair that had been knocked over with a rope hanging from the ceiling with a noose tied at the bottom.  The three teens immediately pressed closer together, and upon noticing that there didn’t appear to be any exits in the room they immediately ran back out.  In fact, they kept running until they made it back to the platform again, Sorey leaning over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath, Mikleo laying out on the ground in exhaustion, and Edna sitting on the ground next to him with her knees tucked under her, also looking worn out.

“Does this mean that lady was here before she died?” Sorey asked once his breathing had returned to normal.

“All I know is I really don’t want to be here anymore,” Edna replied, frowning.

“Then leave!” a voice piped up behind them.  They all turned in surprise to see a creature that looked pretty much like a small plushie staring them down with a frown on its face.

“What the heck are you?” Mikleo said, eyes wide as he stared back.

“I’m Phoenix!” it replied irritably.  “And I’m tired of you people showing up down here and disrupting everything!  Now get out of here!”

It was hard to take the little creature seriously with its small, light brown body and cute oversized orange hat, but it suddenly flung out its paw, causing a pile of TVs to rise up from the floor, and began ushering them toward them.  The three teens backed away from the strange being, unsure about what it could do, until they eventually ended up falling back through the TVs, luckily landing back in the electronics section at Camlann, sprawled out in front of the large television.

“Thank God,” Edna groaned, while Mikleo pushed her off of him, trying to catch his breath after it had been knocked out once she landed on him.  Sorey was sitting up and studying the tv quietly, processing what they had just experienced.  “Lailah is never going to believe us, and I honestly never want to go back there again to prove her wrong,” Edna said.

“I can’t help but agree,” Mikleo replied.  He looked nervously at Sorey, who looked more puzzled and deep in thought than he liked.  If Sorey’s interest was piqued, it probably meant that wasn’t the last they’d see of that strange world on the other side of the tv.

“I need to get home.  My brother’s probably worried,” Edna said, standing up.  She reached over and offered her hand to Mikleo, who was surprised at the kind gesture and allowed her to help him up.  Edna was surprisingly strong for her petite stature, and she pulled him up easily to his surprise.  “Sorey, it’s probably best if we just leave that place alone,” Edna cautioned, also noticing the brunet’s thoughtful gaze.

Sorey blinked, before turning to face them.  “It was pretty scary,” he agreed.  “Are you both alright?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Mikleo said, feeling a bit better now that Sorey’s attention had returned.  “Let’s head home.”  As they headed out from Camlann, it had started raining again.  Edna pulled out an umbrella from her bag that she always carried with her before dashing off home, while Sorey turned around and quickly bought an umbrella for both of them to share.  They headed over to Sorey’s apartment together since it was closer, and Sorey knew his mom wouldn’t mind giving Mikleo a ride home later.  Along the way back to Sorey’s, they tried hard not to think about the strange thing they had experienced in the tv, and instead switched focus to the homework they’d have that night and the historical drama they were both watching.  They liked to point out the inaccuracies and where the show took creative license.  Edna had overheard them talk about it during lunch their second day and had immediately called them nerds.

That night, the three of them couldn’t help but watch the midnight channel again, since the light rain had turned into a steady downpour.  They were all surprised this time when the tv screen popped on, since the picture was clear and easy to see.  The outline now clearly showed Felice, the girl who had discovered Maltran’s body, and she looked like she was terrified.  To their horror, the place that she was located in looked like that strange place in the television, with the only difference being it was no longer foggy inside.  Once the screen popped off, Mikleo immediately called Sorey.  “Did you see that?” he asked, unable to mask the fear in his voice.

“Yeah, I did,” Sorey replied, also sounding shaken.  “Do you think…?”

They both immediately quieted, not wanting to consider the possibility.  “Let’s just try to get some sleep tonight.  We’ll talk about it with the other two in the morning,” Mikleo decided.

“Probably a good idea,” Sorey agreed.  “Good night.”

“Night.”

The next day, they woke up to a thick fog that didn’t dissipate even when the sun finally came up.  Thus, they had to walk to school in it, and they couldn’t help but be reminded of the strange place they had visited the day before.  Then, they arrived to find the school in an uproar.  Another body had been found hanging from the powerlines, and this time it was a student – Felice.  Everyone was in shock that another murder had occurred so soon, especially since it was the very girl who had discovered the first one.  People were gossiping that whoever silenced Maltran must have thought Felice had seen something that might catch them, while others thought that it may be a serial killer and expressed worry about their safety.  Sorey, Mikleo, and Enda, however, couldn’t help but remember that strange world inside the tv and how both Maltran and Felice appeared to have possibly been there somehow.  Although they had to wonder why they were able to pass through and return without seeing anyone but the odd plushie creature or getting attacked by anything.

Thus, before class they filled Lailah in on what they had experienced, making her promise not to say anything to anyone else.  She could hardly believe it, but she knew Edna well and when the girl was trolling or being honest, and she could tell by how shaken the blonde was that she was definitely telling the truth.  “So, what do we do with this information?” she asked.  “Go to the police.”

“I doubt they’d believe us,” Mikleo pointed out.  “They definitely wouldn’t let us prove it either.  We’re just kids and it’s a pretty fantastic story.”

Sorey was looking down, obviously thinking, and looked up to face them.  “I want to go again today,” he said, and Mikleo who had suspected it was coming let out a sigh while the other two gasped.

“But it’s so dangerous!” Lailah interjected.

“This time we’ll come prepared,” Sorey countered.  “I want to see if we can verify that there is a connection between Felice and the tv world, especially after what we experienced yesterday and then later saw on the midnight channel.”

“What do you mean, prepared?” Edna asked.

Sorey leaned forward.  “Mikleo’s uncle is a history professor and collects weapons.  We can borrow some of them to bring with us.”  Mikleo groaned and sunk into his chair, already imagining the trouble they’d get into.  “And we’ll also bring rope and leave someone on the other side to reel us in – that way we won’t potentially get stuck like last time.”

“So, who gets to stay on the other end?” Edna asked incredulously, looking like she already knew the answer to the question.

“Obviously I’m going with Sorey,” Mikleo said quickly before the brunet could answer. 

“So, I have to try to reel both of you in?” Edna grumbled.

“Hey, I saw just how strong you were yesterday when you helped me up,” Mikleo pointed out.  “You’re much stronger than you look.”

Edna punched Mikleo in the arm, who immediately winced and rubbed at the area, glaring at her because he knew it would probably bruise.  She grinned victoriously before saying, “Fine.  If you both are stupid enough to go back in there, I guess I be there to try to save you when things go wrong.”

Mikleo rolled his eyes while Sorey grinned.  “Great!”

Lailah let out a sigh.  “I wish I could join you guys but I have work at the inn again. I will cheer you on from afar instead!”  They set a time to meet up back at the electronics aisle before getting prepared for the start of class.

Hours later, the three of them stood in front of the large television yet again, Mikleo gripping a staff while Sorey had a sword strapped to his belt.  They had managed to sneak them inside in what looked like large bags that usually carried tripods and were now stashed behind the tv to keep them out of sight.  They were tying the ropes around their midsections while handing the other end to Edna to hang onto.  She and Mikleo looked nervous about what they were about to do, while Sorey was focused and rehearsing the plan mentally as they got prepared.  Not long afterward, both boys were ready, and after Sorey took in a deep breath he took the plunge into the tv with Mikleo following close behind.  The moment both boys passed through the tv, the rope keeping them connected to the real world was immediately cut, and Edna clutched at it in shock, immediately trying to hide her worry with irritation.  She knew those boys going in there was a bad idea, and now she had no way to help them.  When she placed her hand against the tv, it was solid for her, which meant she needed Sorey in order to be able to pass through.  ‘What am I supposed to do?’ she wondered, standing powerlessly in front of the blank screen.

On the other side, Mikleo had felt the rope snap after him, which caused both him and Sorey to immediately crash onto the ground.  Like last time, the pile of TVs the strange creature had summoned was nowhere to be found.  “What do we do now?” Mikleo asked, staring back up at where they had fallen.

“We stick with the plan for now,” Sorey decided, taking the sword out of its sheath and gripping it in his hands.  Mikleo gripped his staff before nodding to show he understood.  They made their way down a different path this time, not wanting to return to that bizarre room with the cut-up pictures and angry energy.  This time, the new path emptied out to a place that was very familiar to both of them and immediately got their guard up.  It looked like Elysia, their home town.  Their town was built on a mountain and thus they had a great view of both the valley below and the top of the peak above them.  The particular area they were on now looked like the street they had grown up on, and they could see both their childhood homes sitting side by side.  The town was an exact replica, made creepy by the fact everything was dark and empty and the fog was swirling around them like yesterday.  Also, while all the houses including Sorey’s had what appeared to be a door, Mikleo’s house had another one of those weird portals just like yesterday.  Mikleo felt apprehension sweep through him, and without realizing it he took a step back.  Everything – seeing his childhood home in this awful place, suddenly feeling homesick, wondering why it was his house with the entrance – began to crowd his mind and he suddenly began to feel dizzy.

Sorey had noticed Mikleo’s sudden shift and turned around, eyes widening when he saw the panic on his best friend’s face.  He immediately placed his hands on both of Mikleo’s shoulders, calmly telling him to breath and watching his face closely until Mikleo looked like he had calmed down.  “What’s wrong?” Sorey asked.

“What’s wrong?” Mikleo asked, pointing at their homes.  “Why is Elysia showing up in this place?” he asked.  “Why is my house the one with that weird portal on it?  Sorey, I’m scared!”

Sorey sucked in his breath, but he didn’t step away or flinch.  He looked to see what Mikleo was talking about, and his eyes widened when he realized he was right.  “It is chilling,” he admitted, letting go of Mikleo’s shoulder.  “I…I don’t know why any of this is happening,” he added.  “But I can’t leave something like this alone.  Not something connected to you.”  His voice wavered slightly, and Mikleo could tell that the fact that the portal had appeared on Mikleo’s house definitely unnerved the other boy.  Once Mikleo had pointed it out, he had been unable to tear his eyes away.

Before Mikleo could do anything to catch his attention, their thoughts were interrupted by an odd growling sound.  Sorey immediately tensed, for he recognized that sound from his dream.  He felt his heartrate spike and a cold sweat begin to form at his back as he turned to find what was causing the sound.  Mikleo also turned in confusion, not as tense since he had never encountered it before.  They found themselves face to face with two wolf-like creatures that had a strange, black mist covering them and glowing red eyes.  They were the ones making the growling noise, and it immediately turned into a snarl as one leapt at Mikleo, who immediately defended himself with his staff and knocked it back.  The other circled around behind, making it to where the two of them couldn’t escape.

“What are those?” Mikleo asked, and Sorey shook his head.

“I have no idea,” he said, dodging as the other one leapt at him, jaws wide open and ready to bite.  He circled back around it, lunging forward with a thrust, for he had practiced sword fighting growing up at a dojo outside of town.  He managed to nip the shadowy wolf, but it only seemed to anger it.  Both beasts were fast, much faster than the boys, and they soon found themselves struggling to defend themselves, let alone set up a counterattack. 

Right when Sorey felt like he was running out of options, however, he felt a voice inside of him say, “I am thou... Thou art I... From the sea of thy soul, I come.”  Sorey blinked in confusion, stopping and not paying attention when Mikleo called out his name in panic.  “I am the Shephard, who will purify all malevolence!”  Suddenly, a bright light burst forth from Sorey, and the cloaked figure he had seen in his dream rose above him.  He lifted up his staff and immediately shot out a bright light that descended upon each of the shadow wolves, causing them both to dissipate into a puff of smoke.  Sorey and Mikleo stared at the Shephard in awe, Sorey no longer feeling afraid although Mikleo definitely looked concerned.  The Shephard bowed its head at Sorey before disappearing with another flash, causing a card to flutter down at him.  Sorey caught it and looked down at it, noting that on the back it said it was the fool arcana and on the front it said Shephard and had a picture of the figure they had both just seen.  He immediately thought back to the weird dream, for they had mentioned the fool arcana along with a contract that he had accepted; he wondered if this strange ability he had to pass into the television was a result of that.

“Sorey,” Mikleo said, catching his attention.  Sorey looked up at him, immediately noting the concern on his best friend’s face.  “What haven’t you told me?”

Sorey took a deep breath.  “It’s a lot.  I promise, once we leave here, I’ll tell you everything.  But for now,” he turned to look at the replica of Mikleo’s house.  “I want to investigate whatever that is.  I can’t just leave it here, not knowing what might happen to you.”  Sorey turned back to look at Mikleo as he said that, and Mikleo’s heart skipped a beat upon his serious gaze.

“Alright,” he said after a moment.  “But you better tell me everything.”  He reached out his wrist to Sorey who immediately bumped his against it.  “You ready to go?” Mikleo asked, and Sorey nodded.

They both gripped their weapons before stepping inside, immediately disconcerted by how much it matched Mikleo’s childhood home.  Mikleo looked around in trepidation, while Sorey carefully made his way forward, popping his head into the living room and the kitchen to see if he noticed anything.  They were surprised to hear a shuffling sound upstairs, which appeared to be coming from Mikleo’s room.  They exchanged glances before carefully making their way upstairs.  Once they reached the door to his room, Sorey slowly opened it before staring in surprise at what appeared in front of him.  It was Mikleo, dressed in their old school uniform, perched on his bed and staring at both of them with intent yellow eyes.  The eyes were the only thing different about him, since Mikleo’s were a violet color.  Sorey stared in shock, freezing as Mikleo pushed past him to see what had him so startled.  Then, he also immediately stopped.

“Hello…me,” the other figure greeted, standing up from the bed.

“Wh-what?” Mikleo stammered, also frozen in place.

“I know you heard me,” the other Mikleo said with a sigh.  “I am thou and thou art I,” he added with a smirk.  “That any clearer for you?”

Sorey was immediately caught by the similarities between what this malevolent looking Mikleo said and what Shephard had said earlier.  “Maybe we should listen to what it has to say,” he suggested, and Mikleo frowned, immediately crossing his arms defensively.

“Fine,” he said crossly, while the other one laughed.

“I am your hellion – your true self,” he explained.  “I am the side of you that you do not wish to admit exists.  I know all of your secrets – all the thoughts and feelings you hide from your so-called best friend.”  He smirked now at Sorey, who shot Mikleo a curious glance.  Mikleo’s face had turned red, and he was obviously holding in his anger.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he snapped, hands balling up into fists.

“Oh, but you do.  All those times growing up that Sorey would stand up for you or try to act courageous while hiding the fact he was just as scared as you.  You hated it,” the hellion sneered.  Mikleo grit his teeth, and Sorey had to physically hold Mikleo back from swinging at him.  He had a feeling it wouldn’t lead to anything good.  He also couldn’t help but feel a little sick inside.  Did Mikleo really feel that way about him?

“He never relies on us, does he?” the hellion continued.  “He always pushes ahead, doing whatever whim comes to mind, never stopping to take in consideration your opinion or if it inconveniences you.  But you care about him oh so much and go along with it in the end, afraid if you don’t he’ll finally abandon you for good.”  Mikleo looked stricken by that comment, and Sorey watched with a sinking feeling as the energy seemed to immediately drain from his friend.  It looked like that comment hit too close to home, and it seemed to hurt the other young man.

“That’s…not true,” Mikleo finally found his voice, although it wasn’t as ardent as before.

“Oh really?  Do you really think that?  Because I know what you really feel,” it said leaning forward with a smirk, “and how deep your jealousy goes. Because I feel it too.”

That seemed to set Mikleo off.  “You, are not, me!” he shouted, and the hellion immediately began to laugh at his response.

“Fine, if you won’t accept me, then I’m afraid I’ll have to get rid of you instead,” it sneered.  A dark mist suddenly burst forth from the hellion, wrapping around it and hiding it from view until it burst out.  It was a long, sinewy creature whose body looped and twisted around as it hung in midair.  It had four legs with three claws, spikes along its back and feathers at the end of its tail, and it was covered in light blue scales that matched the color of Mikleo’s hair.  Two horns stuck out of its head, long whiskers ran along each side of its face, and it had a large mouth with very sharp looking teeth. 

“I think…your hellion turned into a dragon,” Sorey said, and they both immediately dodged as it summoned a pillar of ice that crashed down right where they had been standing.  Sorey immediately called forth Shephard again to aid him, before turning to check to see how Mikleo was faring.  The other boy definitely seemed to be struggling with the information the hellion had taunted at him, and Sorey felt his chest tighten.  He had never guessed that Mikleo may harbor some of those feelings about him, but he immediately could see why and he felt bad about it.  Really, it was his own fault for not always listening when Mikleo tried to exercise caution or realizing that his friend sometimes felt Sorey would somehow not need him someday.  Sorey cared about Mikleo and always needed him around to keep him grounded and to support him – no one understood him quite like his best friend after all.  He’d have to find a way to reassure him of that.

For now, however, he had to keep his head in the fight, for the ice dragon they were facing was unpredictable with its ice attacks and sudden lunges where it swiped with its claws, and he had to keep focused.  He and Mikleo worked well together, and they were able to step around each other, intuitively knowing where the other would attack and step next.  They had trained together their whole lives and grew up running around exploring the wilderness around Elysia, so they were better prepared for an encounter like this than your typical teenager.  However, that didn’t mean it was in any way easy.

Sorey also utilized Shephard, sending blasts of white light at it which did seem to have an effect on the shadowy miasma that still surrounded the beast.  Sorey wondered if it had anything to do with its claims to purify malevolence, but he couldn’t think on it too much, especially when Mikleo got hit by the most recent round of ice pillars crashing down on them, causing him to hurry over to check on him.  “Are you alright?” Sorey asked, immediately offering his hand to Mikleo and pulling him back up.

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Just a little winded,” Mikleo said.  Behind them, the dragon was thrashing about, taunting them about how they would die here and end up strung up just like the other two.

“Well…I guess that answers that question,” Sorey commented, and Mikleo frowned next to him, deep in thought.

“I have something I want to try,” he said, and Sorey turned to look at him.

“What?” he asked.  After hearing the hellion speak, he wanted to be better at paying attention to what Mikleo wanted. 

Mikleo expertly spun his staff in his hands, looking at the dragon with careful consideration.  “Let me attack it head on.  I’ve noticed that its attacks seem more aimed at me than at you, so this should draw its attention.”  Sorey let out a gasp, barely biting back his kneejerk reaction to immediately shoot the idea down.

Mikleo noticed, clenching his fists slightly until he realized that Sorey had held back and was still listening.  “That should give you time to circle around it and maybe summon a more powerful version of that light attack.  It seems to be doing much more damage that our hits with the staff and the sword.  Trust me, I can handle it.”

Sorey’s teeth were clenched, and he had to force himself to nod.  “Mikleo, it’s not that I don’t trust you.  I just…I care.  I don’t want you to get hurt.  That’s why…” he trailed off, but Mikleo nodded, giving him a small smile.

“I know,” he said, before waving Sorey off.  He then squared his shoulders before rushing in against the dragon, surprising it by darting forward and hitting with a loud smack.  It roared in fury before attempting to slash at him, an attack that Mikleo deftly dodged.  Sorey, meanwhile, quietly circled around the dragon as promised, mentally questioning Shephard to see if it did indeed have a stronger attack.  To his relief it appeared to, and he quickly began to summon it.  He kept an eye on Mikleo in the process, flinching when the other boy finally got sliced by the dragon’s claws, causing a gash to form on his cheek.  It didn’t appear to be very deep, however, and Mikleo soon shook it off before launching another attack.  That gave Sorey enough time to summon the stronger bolt of light, causing it to crash down upon the dragon, knocking it to the ground and finally reducing it back down to its hellion form. 

Both boys cheered, rushing forward and throwing their arms around one another, glad that the fight was finally over.  The hellion struggled to sit up, giving them a dark look before sulking in a way that Sorey found incredibly familiar.  He glanced over at Mikleo who huffed before making his way over to his other self.  “There…may be some truth to what you said,” Mikleo finally confessed, and the hellion looked up at him in surprise.  “I do sometimes feel like that, like Sorey’s leaving me behind.  But I also know deep down that he won’t.  It’s something that I struggle with because of my own insecurities,” he added.  “Which is why I push myself everyday to get better so I can be on even footing with him.”

Sorey looked down, eyes saddened upon hearing Mikleo’s confession.  “So, I apologize.  I shouldn’t have denied the truth, just because I didn’t want to hear it.  Or for him to hear it.”

His hellion smiled at him, before reaching his arm out in a familiar way.  Mikleo smiled back, bumping wrists with him and causing the hellion to disappear with a bright flash of light.  In its place was a humanoid figure dressed in white clothes lined in gold with blue accents and glowing blue eyes.  In its hands was a bow made of ice.  It faced Mikleo and seemed to speak for a moment before bowing and disappearing, leaving a card in its place with the Magician arcana on the background.  “He says his name is Luzrov Rulay,” Mikleo explained, before pocketing the card.

He then turned to look sheepishly at Sorey.  “I guess we both have a lot to talk about,” he said, and Sorey smiled at him.

“Yes, we do,” he agreed.  They then made their way out of the house and back down the path to the main platform, unsurprised this time to see the odd plushie creature waiting for them with a glare.

“Is it you who keeps pushing people in here?” Phoenix accused.

“Huh?” Sorey replied, while Mikleo shook his head.

“So, there were other people here?” he asked.

“Yes, someone kept pushing them in here,” Phoenix explained, giving them both suspicious looks.  “They kept wandering in here until the fog lifted and the scary hellions came out and attacked them.”

Sorey and Mikleo gasped.  “Is that how…?” Sorey started to ask, before cutting himself off.  They both exchanged looks.

“So you don’t know who’s pushing them in here?” Mikleo asked.

“No.  You’re the only two who have shown up by yourselves. I let you out last time because I didn’t want to see you get caught once the fog lifted,” Phoenix explained.  “You’re really not the ones doing it?”

“No, we’re not.  But, we also would like to figure out who is,” Sorey explained.  “When that happens, those people show up murdered in our world.  We don’t want that to continue happening.”

“Then I’ll help you,” Phoenix said after several moments.  “When they show up, the hellions get really angry and it’s scary here.  I just want things to return to normal.”

“Thank you,” Sorey said, giving Phoenix a warm smile.  “For now though, can you let us out of here?”

“Ok,” Phoenix said, waving his hand again.  The TVs rose up from the ground as before, and Sorey and Mikleo promised to return to investigate some more after they got some rest.  Phoenix waved at them this time as they left, looking a little less antagonistic now that they had the same goal.

They ended up back in the electronics section, faced with a pissed off Edna who immediately clobbered both of them.  “How could you two idiots go in there all foolhardy and leave me here a worried mess?” she complained, immediately stopping when she realized they were actually sporting cuts and bruises.  “What happened, did something actually attack you?” she asked.

Sorey and Mikleo exchanged glances.  “It’s a long story,” Mikleo began.

“We’ll explain more at lunch tomorrow,” Sorey added afterward.  He and Mikleo exchanged glances again, before bursting into laughter, happy to have made it out alive.  Edna quickly ended it however, with another round of punches as she reminded them where they were and the fact they were trying to avoid suspicion.  Both boys winced, before carefully packing up their weapons, hiding them in the bags again.  In the process, Mikleo glanced at Sorey and grinned deviously, swiftly moving in behind him before thrusting his hands on each side of Sorey’s abdomen where he knew he was incredibly ticklish. 

“Gotcha,” Mikleo said in triumph, as Sorey began trying to squirm away with a laugh.

“Gah, Mikleo!” he complained, jerking away before immediately doing a counter attack, knowing that Mikleo was incredibly sensitive on the back of his neck.  Sorey had a technique where he would just barely run a finger along the base of his neck, causing Mikleo to immediately tense up before chasing after him again. 

Edna watched both of them with a frown on her face, thoroughly unimpressed by their childish display, and angrily asked, “Are you trying to get us kicked out of the store?” which immediately ended their tickle fight.  “I thought your mom worked here,” she added, staring at Sorey who shrunk under her gaze.  She had a point.

“Ok, we’ll stop,” Sorey agreed.  “We just.  We went through a lot in there.  It’s just good to feel alive.”

Edna sighed and surprised them by taking both of their bags.  “You do look like you went through hell,” she agreed, before walking up ahead without another word.  Both boys smiled at her retreating back, realizing that was Edna’s way of showing she cared.  They would have a lot to discuss in the days ahead, but at least now they had some clues and some tools at hand to solve this strange mystery that was infecting Ladylake.


	6. Thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 of SorMik week! Only one more to go~ The prompts are: ☆ Anger/Humor ★ Alternate: Thunder 
> 
> So for the thunder theme, I decided to write a college AU ^^ Some of it is based on my own experiences in college. The end of the story does get a little NSFW.

Sorey and Mikleo were both sprawled across Mikleo’s bed in their dorm room, papers spread around them as they studied for their upcoming midterms.  Sorey was an anthropology major while Mikleo was majoring in history, but they both had a lot of overlapping courses due to the similarities of their area of study.  Mikleo was carefully recopying his notes, since the act of writing them out helped him remember, while Sorey was using flashcards and reading the answers aloud since he learned better from hearing.  He also had his glasses on that evening since his contacts had been bothering his eyes, and Mikleo kept glancing up from his writing to stare when Sorey wasn’t looking.  He had a weakness for Sorey in his glasses and secretly found it very attractive whenever the brunet put them on.

Mikleo was in the middle of sneaking another glance at him when Sorey suddenly turned, catching them in the act.  “Is something wrong?” he finally asked.  “You keep looking at me.”

Mikleo immediately blushed, for he thought Sorey had been oblivious.  He sometimes forgot how sharp his senses were.  “Nothing’s wrong,” he said, quickly looking back down at his notes.  Sorey smiled to himself, chuckling quietly before returning his focus too.  He thought it was cute how after all this time Mikleo still got flustered and shy with him.  Normally, Sorey would have pushed a little to get Mikleo to admit to staring, or he would have brushed against him or in some other way set the mood, but he reigned himself in this time since he knew they needed to focus.  He could initiate that later that night. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a rumble of thunder outside, and he blinked before getting up and making his way to the window to look outside.  It was already evening, but he could tell from the streetlights illuminating the sky that it did look ominously dark and cloudy outside.  “I think we’re in for a storm,” he commented, just as a flash of lightning hit outside and lit up the room.  It was still far enough away that he didn’t hear the lightning as it flashed, but the booming thunder did sound closer than the first round.

“Well it’s a good thing we didn’t plan on going anywhere tonight,” Mikleo teased, finally finishing with the page of notes he had been working on for the past half hour and setting it aside.  “How about I go through a round of flashcards with you real quick.”

“Yeah, and then we can switch,” Sorey agreed, heading back to the bed and sitting up.  As they went through the first round where Mikleo asked the question and Sorey answered, the storm grew louder outside and they could soon hear the wind pick up along with some heavy rain.  The amount of time between each flash of lightning and the following thunderclap was diminishing as well, and they could tell when it fully arrived it was probably going to be pretty violent.  Right when Sorey had finished answering his last flashcard, they heard a loud crackling sound outside as lightning struck close by, and the resounding crash of thunder was so loud that it shook the dormitory and made them jump.  The rain was pouring now, and Mikleo glanced at his phone to make sure they weren’t under any sort of a tornado or flash flood warning, since the parking lot tended to flood easily.  Just as he pulled up the weather app to check his phone, there was another loud lightning strike, and as the thunder boomed behind it the lights in the dorm room immediately shut off, bathing them in darkness.

They heard some shrieks from a few of the other students in the dormitory, and Sorey went to the window again to confirmed that the outage appeared to be campus wide.  “Looks like we may have to take a break from studying,” he said, jumping as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and caused the building to shake.

“You’re probably right,” Mikleo said, sighing as he used his phone’s flashlight to gather up their study materials and neatly set them aside for later. 

Sorey, meanwhile, used his phone’s flashlight to find their battery powered lantern that they used for just these situations.  He turned it on, setting it on the small table next to Mikleo’s bed before going to find the batteries just in case.  He couldn’t remember the last time they had replaced them.  While he was scrounging around, they both began to hear the sounds of loud footsteps and laughter from the hallway, and there soon was a loud rap at the door.  Based on the sound, they had a feeling Rose was on the other side.  Sorey opened up and sure enough she was standing there with Alisha.  They were both rooming together on the second floor which was the girl’s hall.

“Hey, a bunch of us are playing hide and go seek while the lights are out.  You wanna join in?” Rose asked.

Sorey looked back at Mikleo thoughtfully, who looked awfully cute perched on the bed, before turning back and shaking his head.  “Normally we’d love to but I think we already have plans,” he said, giving them a wide grin.

Rose rolled her eyes, before shrugging, while Alisha gave her a slightly puzzled look.  “They want to spend time together,” Rose loudly whispered as they walked off, causing Alisha to glance back at Sorey who was now blushing slightly.  Her eyes widened in understanding before she immediately turned back, following Rose down the hall so they could hide.  Sorey stepped back in and closed the door, before turning to face Mikleo who looked intrigued by what he had overheard.

“We have plans, do we?” Mikleo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, we do,” Sorey grinned, before making his way over to the bed.  He climbed up, crawling his way over until he leaned over Mikleo, trapping him between his arms.  “Why don’t we revisit my earlier question?” Sorey suggested.

Mikleo pouted at him.  “You already know the answer,” he huffed, violet eyes glaring at him playfully.

“Do I really?” Sorey teased, and Mikleo lightly punched his shoulder.  He then reached forward and gently touched the side of Sorey’s glasses.

“I like it when you wear these,” he admitted.  “I just couldn’t tear my eyes away.”  He was blushing furiously, and Sorey felt his chest tighten in response.  Mikleo was way too attractive like that.

“I think I can understand where you’re coming from,” he confessed, and Mikleo tilted his head slightly.  “Because right now I can’t tear my eyes away from you either,” he smiled.

“Gah, so cheesy,” Mikleo began to complain, until he was cut off by Sorey leaning forward to capture his lips.  Mikleo immediately pulled him closer, running his hands through Sorey’s hair before resting one at the small of his back and keeping the other on the back of his head in order to hold him close.  Sorey, meanwhile, carefully straddled Mikleo, and kept one hand resting at the side of his head to keep himself balanced while the other cupped his face to help keep it angled right.  Their lips glided into place as Sorey set the pace, and their hot breath mixed together as they panted into each other’s mouths.  They were taking their time, drawing long and sensual kisses, not in a rush due to the power outage setting the mood.  It’s not like they had anything else to do, after all.

Mikleo pulled away and pressed his mouth into Sorey’s collarbone, nipping lightly where he knew it was sensitive, and feeling the shiver run up Sorey’s spine where they pressed against each other.  Sorey also let out a low groan, which immediately caused heat to rush to Mikleo’s groin.  Then, Sorey began to card his fingers through Mikleo’s hair, causing him to close his eyes at the sensation and lean into it.  This gave Sorey an opening and he leaned forward, resting his head on Mikleo’s shoulder as he pressed a series of kisses along the side of his neck.  He then snuck one hand under Mikleo’s shirt, running his fingers along the skin of his tone abdomen in a lazy circling motion that caused the heat to continue to rise for both of them.  Mikleo gasped, before tugging the buttons on the top of Sorey’s shirt until he had the top open, so he could run one hand along the muscle on his chest, smiling when he felt Sorey’s racing heartbeat.  Sorey caught his hand, bringing it up to his lips so he could press kisses against his palm, staring him down a little possessively as he did so.  It was touching watching Mikleo feel his heart race, and Sorey wanted him to know exactly who it was for.

Mikleo seemed to catch his message, because he grinned at Sorey, before sitting up suddenly, startling the brunet who scrambled back in surprise while Mikleo used the momentum to shove Sorey back onto the bed, immediately straddling him and taking his turn to press both arms on either side of Sorey’s head so he could trap Sorey between his arms this time.  Sorey sucked in a breath at how bright Mikleo’s eyes had gotten and how sexy he looked with his flushed cheeks as he stared down at him enticingly.  He let out a little smirk, before reaching down and plucking Sorey’s glasses off, carefully setting them on the nightstand next to them so he could look directly into his emerald eyes, darker now as they eyed him hungrily.  He ran his thumb along Sorey’s lower lip before reaching down to follow it up with his own, crushing their lips together.  Sorey began running his hands along Mikleo’s back, fingertips tracing the dip of his back, his spine, and up along the side of his waist where he was most sensitive.  Usually, that was where Sorey would attempt to tickle Mikleo when they were teasing each other, but in heated moments like this, it sent a shiver up his spine again and caused him to moan into Sorey’s mouth.

Sorey grinned against Mikleo’s lips, while they other man pulled away, eyes intent as he dipped down to press kisses into Sorey’s collarbone again, before sneakily running one hand down to his thigh, causing Sorey to immediately jerk as his hand slowly made its way up his inner thigh, stopping right before he reached the conspicuously tented area on Sorey’s pajamas.  “Are you ready?” he asked quietly, and his best friend and lover immediately nodded.

“Always,” he said, his voice a little husky.  Mikleo felt his chest warm at the reply, staring down at the most perfect man he had ever laid eyes on who was staring back at him with open trust and affection.  He then leaned forward, shifting his hand up to its final destination, while Sorey’s hand traveled down his chest in order to reach his.  Outside, the storm began to settle down as inside it only continued to heat up, both men soon lost in each other’s electrifying touch.


	7. Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And my last day for SorMik week~ The prompts are ☆ Contentment/Passion ★ Alternate: Sunshine
> 
> I decided to go back to the cut scene at the end of the game for inspiration since it's pretty bright/sunny in the scene and revisit Mikleo and Sorey's reunion ^^

Mikleo stood outside of another temple on his seeming never-ending quest for exploration.  He stared up at the massive structure, having to shade his eyes with his hand from the bright sunlight, before making his way up the stairs and pushing open the massive door.  He made his way through the temple confidently, staff in hand and ready for if he encountered any beasts that may try to attack.  He seriously doubted it in this place, however, for it was pretty quiet and peaceful. 

As he made his way through, he stopped occasionally to marvel at some of the more elaborate carvings, or at how well the temple incorporated the natural setting into its design.  One room deep within the temple had broken the surface of the planet, and had carefully constructed areas where lava flowed in long lines of geometric patterns.  Giant statues littered the area, and Mikleo marveled at how massive they were, wondering how the ancient peoples managed to create such impressive figures.  As he was studying it, pondering what notes he could make about it in his journal later, he thought he heard a sound off in the distance that broke his thoughts.  He turned his head sharply, peering out into the expanse to the door he had just come from, listening patiently for a moment and then shaking his head.  It was probably just his imagination.

The next room he entered was also massive, but much more tranquil with bright crystals growing out of the ground and walls, causing a sparkling effect to dot the whole room from the bright sunlight that poured in from a hole in the ceiling.  It filtered in as bright blue light which Mikleo found soothing.  He stared up at it, having to shield his eyes yet again so he could make out the architectural design in the domed ceiling, before he made his way over to check out the stone pillar in the middle of the room.  There was a blue stone located in the center, and he stepped forward to it in order to inspect it.  He placed his hand over it with a soft smile, the stone cool enough that he could feel it through his gloves.  He stood quietly for a moment, appreciating the work that had gone into carving the stone, before he was startled as the ground suddenly crumbled beneath him and he immediately began to fall.

Underneath it was a dark void, too dark to see how far down it went, and as Mikleo panicked the only thought running through his head was, ‘What would Sorey think if he wakes up and I’m no longer here?’  Mikleo didn’t think constantly of the sleeping shepherd as he had back in the early days, so the thought came as a surprise, although he was always somewhere in the back of his mind and Mikleo was still waiting for him to wake up.  He actually had thought it had to be soon, because he could no longer see traces of malevolence anymore.

His mind was so caught up in his panicked thought, that it took him a moment to realize he was no longer falling.  A hand was securely wrapped around his, and when he brought his head up to look to see who had caught him, he had to squint to see past the bright sunlight streaming in directly overhead.  The first thing he noticed was the hand gripping his, with a glove so familiar even after all these hundreds of years.  His eyes continued to travel upward, hopeful this time, until he saw a familiar figure outlined by the bright sunlight.  He had shifted in order to block out more of the blinding light, and Sorey’s warm green eyes met his, a relieved smile on his face.  Mikleo felt a slow smile grace his own, and he stared up at Sorey with such adoration that the younger looking man immediately flushed in response.  Mikleo then reached forward with his other hand, clasping it firmly over Sorey’s as he began to pull him up and out of the hole.

Sorey, meanwhile, had woken up several days ago, feeling incredibly sore and tired after being in stasis for so long.  His very first thought had been finding Mikleo, but Maotelus had firmly forced him to stay until his energy and strength had returned enough to face the journey.  Luckily, Maotelus was also back at full power, and paid Sorey back for his help by speeding along the healing process and letting him know where Mikleo was.  Thus, only days later, Sorey had immediately headed off, using the map that had been drawn for him to make his way to the temple Mikleo was going to be exploring soon.  When he reached the temple he felt an old pinprick of excitement, shielding his eyes as he took in the massive structure and feeling energized at the thought of exploring it while looking for his best friend.  He hadn’t explored ruins in so long and couldn’t wait to journey around with Mikleo just like old times.

He noticed that the door to the temple is already open, and he smiled before making his way up the crumbling steps and heading inside.  He would normally stop to study the different carvings on the walls and other details of the architecture in order to figure out the time period, but today he was a man on a mission and he began to make his way through, looking for any signs of the water seraph and listening to see if he could hear him up ahead.  Eventually, he heard what sounded like another heavy door opening, and he quickened his pace, heading straight over to where he had heard the sound and sighing in relief when he eventually came to another open door.  He took a deep breath before stepping through it, staring in amazement at the room bathed in red, boiling hot from the lava pouring down canals in the walls, as he looked around in earnest for Mikleo’s familiar form.  What he saw instead took his breath away.

There was a tall man standing in front of a massive statue in the center of the room, long hair the color of Mikleo’s tied up into a high ponytail yet still cascading down past his shoulders.  His form looked sturdy and confident, and as he turned to inspect another aspect of the statue, Sorey was taken in by how gracefully he moved.  His eyes, half covered by his long bangs that still swept across his face in a familiar way, were the same colored violet as Mikleo’s, and Sorey felt his chest tighten as he realized this gorgeous man indeed seemed to be his best friend.  He hadn’t taken that into consideration as he slept, the fact that the world including Mikleo had also aged.  He ducked back behind the doorway, smacking it with his arm in his haste and causing it to scrape loudly against the floor in the process, and leaned against the wall on the other side, hoping his rapidly beating heart would calm down soon so he could try to work up the courage to face his best friend.

When he was finally ready and stepped into the room again to face him, he was disappointed to see it was now empty and that Mikleo had made his way further into the temple.  Sorey frowned to himself, quickly spotting the only other exit from the room, and hurried over, making his way down a hallway that was thankfully much cooler than the other room had been, before it emptied out into a large room, brightly lit by sunlight streaming in from a hole in the center of the ceiling.  Sorey was relieved to see Mikleo standing in the middle, inspecting a pillar that was in the center, and he smiled before slowly making his way toward him, not wanting to startle him or interrupt his thoughts.

That is, until there was a loud cracking noise, and he watched in horror as Mikleo began to rapidly disappear into a hole that had opened up beneath his feet.  Sorey dashed forward, immediately grabbing for Mikleo’s hand, his heart pumping with fear and adrenaline even after he firmly grasped it in his, feeling relieved as he struggled to keep hold of Mikleo’s weight.  He wasn’t quite as slight as he used to be, and Sorey realized that some of his more confident stance came from the fact he had put on a little bit of muscle.

He stared down at Mikleo, and watched panic wash over his face until he realized he was no longer falling.  He looked up, squinting curiously, and Sorey realized that the sunlight above them was probably blinding him from being able to see.  He tried to adjust his stance, leaning forward a bit to block some of the sunlight, and he recognized the moment Mikleo noticed the hand desperately gripping his. 

His eyes slowly raised, meeting Sorey’s, and the brunet couldn’t help but smile in relief, glad that Mikleo was ok and happy to see his best friend again.  A slow smile made its way across Mikleo’s face, and it was so full of adoration and affection that Sorey felt his heart melt.  Mikleo then reached up and clasped Sorey’s hand as the brunet drew him up, pulling him over the hole and dragging him back away from it until he felt like they were safe.  Mikleo immediately threw his arms around him, pulling Sorey into his chest and resting his head over his, allowing Sorey to hear the comforting sound of Mikleo’s heartbeat.  “You’re really back,” he said, voice a little lower now that he was older, but still easily recognizable. 

Sorey felt his heart skip a beat as he pulled his head away from Mikleo’s chest.  He looked him in the eyes, studying his new features while finding things he remembered there too.  “Yeah, I am,” he smiled, causing Mikleo to sigh at the familiar sound.  It had been forever, but Sorey still sounded exactly as he remembered.

To his surprise, Sorey then reached forward, tentatively cupping his hand to Mikleo’s face and looking him directly in the eyes.  Mikleo sucked in his breath, transfixed by the intensity of his gaze as he stared at him.  He didn’t even notice Sorey lean forward, until warm lips pressed firmly against his.  Mikleo stiffened, and Sorey began to pull away, afraid maybe he had been too forward, until Mikleo gripped his shirt, holding him in place. 

“Stay,” he breathed against his lips, before capturing Sorey’s this time, expertly exploring his mouth in a way he had only dreamed he would.  Sorey immediately deferred to his expertise, sighing into the kiss as Mikleo pulled him close.  He was glad that Mikleo hadn’t pulled away and seemed to appreciate the initiated kiss, which allowed them to finally address their feelings that they had been skirting around prior to Sorey’s long sleep.  There was a lot Sorey would need to catch up on in the days ahead, but with Mikleo by his side, he wasn’t worried.  Mikleo, meanwhile, looked forward to exploring this new aspect to their relationship, and showing Sorey all of the ruins and temples he had been discovered while he was asleep.  Only this time it would be better with his best friend and now lover by his side.


End file.
